Pathfinder 1E Flat - Footed

[Ezequielramone]

I have a group with players that enjoy the tactic game. they don't have problems with house rules, they even proposed some. but they also want to have advise of the house rules.
I have a little problem understanding when you are flat Footed when a surprise round occurs.
in the initiative section they say that you are flat Footed till your first REGULAR TURN. as a regular turn I understand a turn with move and standard actions. In a surprise round you only have one. So if you act in the surprise round you are still flat Footed till your first complete turn.
the flat Footed condition says you are flat Footed till you act in combat. I interpret surprise round as part of the combat.
So, are you FF if you have acted in the surprise round but not in the regular initiative? If so, how can I interpret that narratively?
I am missing something?
the most "normal" thing to do imo is that you are not FF if you have acted in the surprise round. But I want more opinions since I'm not pretty sure on how to deal with this.

 

[thewok]

I would go with you. If you act in the surprise round, then you are not flat-footed. I'd actually even go so far as to say that you aren't flat-footed at all if you aren't surprised, whether you've acted or not. That's how we've always played it in our games, and it works well. If you are surprised, however, then you lose your Dex bonus to AC, only to regain it when your turn finally comes around in regular combat.

If you wanted to narratively interpret the RAW, then you're flat-footed because you are--quite literally--flat-footed. You haven't acted yet. You haven't even moved. Your feet are flat on the ground. Combat rounds are six seconds of constant moving and positioning, parrying and deflecting. The slower people take an extra second or fraction of a second to get going, so that makes them easier to hit for a short window of time, whether surprised or not.

This makes the Rogue's Uncanny Dodge extremely good, as he never has to worry about it. His attunement to his surroundings is so great that he can act before he even knows something's up. He (or she, I guess, since Merisiel is the iconic Rogue) has a sixth sense, and just knows that he needs to move now.

 

[Ezequielramone]

If you wanted to narratively interpret the RAW, then you're flat-footed because you are--quite literally--flat-footed. You haven't acted yet. You haven't even moved. Your feet are flat on the ground. Combat rounds are six seconds of constant moving and positioning, parrying and deflecting. The slower people take an extra second or fraction of a second to get going, so that makes them easier to hit for a short window of time, whether surprised or not.

Thanks for your response. But what I don't understand is why if you have acted in the surprised round you are flat-footed if you have not take a "normal round".
IMO it sounds logic to be flat footed if you have not acted at all, since initiative represent your reaction to combat. But if you have already acted in the surprised round I don't see how can you be flat footed.

 

[thewok]

I'm with you. That's why my group doesn't play that way. We changed that rule up because it made little sense. For us, flat-footed only comes into play when you are surprised. If you're not surprised (whether or not a surprise round actually happens), then you don't have to worry about flat-footed AC.

 

[Vegepygmy]

But what I don't understand is why if you have acted in the surprised round you are flat-footed if you have not take a "normal round".

FWIW, I've never seen anybody actually play it that way. In every game I've ever run, played in, or even just watched, you are flat-footed until you take your first action, whether that's in a surprise round or the first regular round.